USA Hockey is concerned with locker room activities between minor players, locker room activities between minor players and adult players, adults being alone with individual minor players in locker rooms, and non-official or non-related adults having unsupervised access to minor participants at sanctioned team events.

It is the policy of USA Hockey and USA Hockey InLine that all affiliates, districts, leagues and local hockey programs have at least one responsible adult directly monitoring the locker room during all team events to ensure that only participants (coaches and players), approved team personnel and family members are permitted in the locker room and to supervise the conduct in the locker room. Any individual meetings between a minor participant and a coach in a locker room shall require a responsible adult be with the coach.

Further, responsible adults must personally monitor the locker room environment at all times while participants are present and also make sure the locker room is appropriately secured during times when minor participants are on the ice.

All responsible adults serving as locker room monitors should be gender correct and the co-ed locker room policy must be followed as described in the current USA Hockey Annual Guide. Monitors must be screened and meet all USA Hockey screening standards.

USA Hockey Screening Policy

It is the policy of USA Hockey that it will not authorize or sanction in its programs that it directly controls any volunteer or employee who has routine access to children (anyone under the age of majority) who refuses to consent to be screened by USA Hockey before he/she is allowed to have routine access to children in USA Hockey’s programs. Further, it is the policy of USA Hockey that it will require the affiliates to adopt this policy as a condition of its affiliation with USA Hockey.

A person may be disqualified and prohibited from serving as an employee or volunteer of USA Hockey if the person has:

1) Been convicted (including crimes the record of which has been expunged and pleas of “no contest”) of a crime of child abuse, sexual abuse of a minor, physical abuse, causing a child’s death, neglect of a child, murder, manslaughter, felony assault, any assault against a minor, kidnapping, arson, criminal sexual conduct, prostitution related crimes or controlled substance crimes;

2) Been adjudged liable for civil penalties or damages involving sexual or physical abuse of children;

3) Been subject to any court order involving any sexual abuse or physical abuse of a minor, including but not limited to domestic order for protection;

4) Had their parental rights terminated;

5) A history with another organization (volunteer, employment, etc.) of complaints of sexual or physical abuse of minors;

6) Resigned, been terminated or been asked to resign from a position, whether paid or unpaid, due to complaint(s) of sexual or physical abuse of minors; or

7) Has a history of other behavior that indicates they may be a danger to children in USA Hockey.

Additional USA Hockey Ethics and Screening Policies
For information on additonal USA Hockey Policies see the document which is available for download here.